Chapter 101
Over the past few days, Ireneo had become noticeably clingier. Especially today, he had no interest in drawing at all. Rather than playing around with his charcoal in front of the easel as usual, he seemed eager to explore every corner of the mansion.
In the end, with Danel absent for the day, I spent the entire time holding Ireneo’s hand as we wandered through the house. That was how we ended up at the central staircase.
“Uu!”
Ireneo, who had been climbing the stairs two steps at a time on all fours, suddenly turned to look at me. It seemed like he wanted me to match his pace.
While he carefully placed his hands on the next step, I slowly moved up to the next one myself.
By now, he had gotten much better at climbing. He had stubbornly refused to let me carry him, insisting on doing it himself—and from the confidence in his movements, he seemed quite sure of his abilities.
After a while, we finally finished our third climb and reached the third floor.
Praising him, I scooped him up into my arms. Climbing up was one thing, but going down was far too dangerous for a one-year-old. Even if he was disappointed, he would have to descend in the arms of an adult.
“Mm! Mmm! Mmm!”
As expected, Ireneo babbled in frustration.
To soothe him, I met his eyes and smiled. But then, I noticed something—his sparkling green eyes weren’t looking at the stairs but toward the hallway instead.
Following his gaze, I turned my head.
On the other side of the corridor stood a tightly closed door. The library.
“Do you want to look at books?”
I asked Ireneo, though I wasn’t entirely sure of his answer.
But as soon as he heard my words, he broke into a bright smile. For a moment, I thought he looked like someone I knew, and before I realized it, I murmured to myself.
“You really don’t take after me at all.”
Holding him in my arms, I made my way toward the library. The open window let in the full brilliance of the summer sun—someone must have left it open for ventilation.
“Ahaha!”
Ireneo let out a burst of laughter in my arms, his golden hair—so much like Danel’s—shimmering as it tousled.
When I set him down, he grabbed onto a desk for support and began tottering around the library. He really was getting quite good at walking now.
Watching his growth felt strangely fascinating. I wasn’t the type to endlessly dote on children, nor did I think of myself as an exceptional parent, but seeing him slowly master new skills one by one was undeniably interesting.
It was a realization I had never had before, even after watching my countless nieces, nephews, and other children grow up.
As I followed behind him, Ireneo suddenly came to a stop—right in front of the bookshelf that led to the hidden passage.
He stood there for a while, huffing and grunting in frustration. Then, all of a sudden, he turned to look at me.
His green eyes locked onto my face with a searching gaze.
I wasn’t completely certain, but… it seemed like he could feel the breeze coming from behind the bookshelf.
Tilting my chin in the same direction, I studied him. Seeing a child’s curiosity spark toward something hidden and unseen reminded me of my younger self.
Had Danel been right all along? Did he actually take after me more than I realized?
In any case, I decided to do as the child wished. I picked up a fire poker hanging beside the fireplace and began unlocking the latches stacked one atop another.
Soon, the bookshelf-turned-door swung open, allowing sunlight to flood into the dimly lit vault. As soon as Ireneo caught sight of the collection inside, he started to run excitedly toward it.
“No.”
I stopped him with a firm voice and swiftly scooped up his small, eager body before he could charge into the room. If his little hands left even a single smudge on the meticulously maintained artifacts, Danel might be terribly disheartened.
Fortunately, Ireneo seemed content simply observing the new sights from a higher vantage point.
The delicate clothing encased in glass and the carefully preserved flowers fascinated him so much that he let out a peal of laughter just from looking at them.
Carrying him around the room, I held up each item he pointed at so he could see it up close. If it was something I recognized, I even gave a brief explanation.
Recalling those memories wasn’t difficult. Everything in Danel’s collection was a piece of my past—our past. Each item was a fragment of the time we had spent together.
Of course, I still wished he would just throw away the torn lingerie…
After exploring for a while, Ireneo started wriggling toward the door. It seemed he was finally ready to look at the books in the study.
I set him down in front of a bookshelf filled with fairy tales, then returned to the hidden room alone to close the door.
That’s when I noticed something new in the corner of the room.
It was a wooden panel covered with a white cloth.
‘What is that?’
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